A preliminary report: prison visit in Nepal

Visita a una prision en Nepal, reporte preliminar

The purpose of this paper is to present the preliminary results of a nation-wide prison survey conducted by the Center for Victims of Torture Nepal (CVICT).

The study team visited every single prison in Nepal and approached every prisoner for a medical and human rights interview. In addition, prison conditions were assessed.

Results show that the majority of prisoners are married males. More than 60% reported a history of physical torture, which had occurred in cus tody in 90% of the cases. Health complaints were mostly in the following systems: CNS (33%), Musculoskeletal (34%), GIT (38%), and respiratory (21%). More than 30% of prisoners reported psychological problems. Prison conditions varied from mediocre to poor. Recommendations are discussed.